Automobile-clock.



No. 785,831. PATENTED MAR. 28, 1905. W. E. PORTER.

AUTOMOBILE CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED 110V. 28, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented March 28, 1905v PATENT OEEicE.

WILSON E. PORTER, OF NE\V HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW HAVEN CLOCK CO., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPO- RATION.

AUTOMOBILE-CLOCK SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,831, dated March 28, 1905. Application filed November 28,1904. Serial No 234,535.

To (ti/Z 'urim'nt m/(ty con/067w:

Be it known that I, ILSON E. Pon'rnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automobile-Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure I, a view in front elevation of an automobile-clock constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a side view thereof, Fig. 3, a view of the clock, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical central section, with the hour-hand, the minute-hand, and the marker arranged in line; Fig. a detached view in inside elevation of the dial, showing the hub carrying the marker and the frictionspring for the said hub; Fig. 5, a detached sectional view of the rotary sash, the section being taken on a line at a right angle to the marker-notch; Fig. 6, a detached broken sectional View, on an enlarged scale, showing the dial, the marker, the hub therefor, and the marker-spring.

My invention relates to an improvement in those clocks especially designed for use in automobiles and for that reason known as automobile-clocks, the object being to produce a simple, durable, and convenient clock constructed with particular reference to being set to indicate at a glance the amount of time spent in covering the distance between any two places.

\Vith these ends in view my invention consists in an automobile-clock havingcertain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, as herein shown, I employ a radially-arranged marker 2, concentric with and beneath the hour-hand 3 and the minute-hand 4. and rigidly secured to the outer end of a hub 5, located in a large circular opening 6, formed in the center of the dial 7. The inner end of this hubis passed through a slightly-dished spider-like marker- 5 spring 8, placed against the inner face of the dial and turned down upon the inner face of the said spring to form a retaining-flange 9. The marker is set or slightly bowed, so that its outer end has a tendency to move outward and snap, so to speak, into a marker-notch 10, formed in the edge of the mat 11 of a rotary sash 12, having a knurled edge 12, furnished with a crystal 13 and formed with an inwardlyprojecting annular flange 14, sleeved over the forward edge of the clock case-ring 15, the rear edge of which is secured to a circular plate 16, having its projecting edge furnished with holes 17 for the reception of the screws which are employed to secure the clock to the 5 automobile.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing description that when the outer end of the marker is entered into the marker-notch 10 of the rotary sash 12 the marker may be set with reference to the hour-hand or the minute-hand or to any of the figures of graduations upon the dial by simply rotating the sash in one direction or the other by means of its knurled edge. The rotary sash will then be held in any position in which it may be so set by the marker, which in turn is held against turning by the marker-spring, which, however, is easily overcome by grasping the sash by its knurled edge and turning it one way or the other; but the spring will hold the sash and marker against being jarred out of position.

The sash may be secured to the clock casering 15 with a capacity for rotation thereupon 5 in a variety of ways. As herein shown it is secured thereto by means of three retainingsprings 18, attached by screws 19 to the inner edge of the said ring 15 and having their forward ends turned downward and inward to 9 form hooks 20, adapted to enter a peripheralgroove 21,formed in the flange let of the sash, the bottom of this groove being inclined and the production of the groove resulting in the formation of a retaining-flange engaged A, by the ends of the hooks 20. These springs 18 permit the rotary dial to be very readily applied to and removed from the clock-case,

and, moreover, they may be easily set, if desired, so as to produce enough friction to supplement the action of the marker-spring 9 or even to take the place thereof.

The hub 5 is made amply large to receive without engagement the sleeve 23, to which the hour-hand 3 is secured, this sleeve being frictionally applied to the socket 2a of the hour-wheel,which is not shown. The socket 2 L in turn is made large enough for the projection forward through it of the center arbor 25, to which the minute-hand 4 is secured, all these being of ordinary construction.

It is apparent that some changes from the construction herein shown and described may be made. 1 would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself thereto, but hold myself at liberty to make such departures therefrom as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an auto1nobile-clock,tl1e combination with the case, rotary sash and dial thereof, of a radially-arranged frictionally-held marker mounted in the dial concentric with the hour and minute hands of the clock and adapted at its outer end to be engaged with the rotary sash. whereby the rotary sash is held in any desired position by the said marker.

2. in an automobile-clock, the combination with the case. rotary sash and dial thereof, of a marker mounted in the dial concentric with the hour and minute hands of the clock and adapted at its outer end to be engaged with the rotary sash, and a friction-spring connected with the inner end of the marker for holding it and hence the sash, in any predetermined position.

3. In an automobile-clock, the combination with the case, rotary sash and dial thereof, of a radially-arranged marker, a hub mounted in the center of the dial and having the inner end of the marker attached to it, and a friction-spring applied to the inner face of the dial and having the inner end of the said hub connected with it.

a. In an automobile-clock, the combination with the case and dial thereof, of a rotary sash formed with amarker-notch, of a marker frictionally held in the center of the dial concentric with the hour and minute hands of the clock and having its outer end adapted to enter the said notch in the sash which the marker holds in any predetermined or set position.

5. In an automobile-clock, the combination with the case-ring thereof, of a rotary sash formed with an inwardly-extending flange VILSON E. PORTER.

Witnesses:

Fnnnmuo (7. Emma, GEORGE l). SEYMOUR. 

